Central Focus/Angle

The aspects of the archive that I chose to focus on are the racial demographics of the Eugene/Springfield area. As an individual who grew up in this community, I think the racial history of Oregon is a largely neglected topic in the public school system. While an overview of the entire state’s history is important, I would like to create an outlet where children and teens in our school systems are able to utilize an interactive map/podcast interface as part of their curriculum. The central focus of this program is to be able to teach Oregon history through a lens that is both personal to students, where they recognize landmarks throughout their cities, and then learn something about it. But also approaches this information in a manner that they might not be accustomed to, one that does not just discuss the “white” part of history and instead includes Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American, and other minorities’ history as our area further diversifies. When you create a space for local history to become part of children’s school curriculum, the entire class fosters a deeper connection to the material and hopefully feel better equipped to navigate, not only the changing world but the changing local community.

Main Claims

As previously alluded to, my main claim is that history is a much more beneficial area of study when we include perspectives that might not be traditionally highlighted in the classroom. In my public high school, we had one teacher who created a social studies/history class meant to teach American history from different cultures and people’s perspectives throughout the decades. It was one of the only history classes that I felt moved by and made me question why curriculums such as this weren’t universal? I have never met another Oregon student (besides those who attended the same high school as me) who had any similar sort of class.

History, geography, and race more often than not seem to be completely separate from one another according to the public school system. This is largely due to the way in which we teach our students about each subject. Instead of using an intersectional approach with social sciences, often are these topics treated as completely different entities. As though they do not affect one another or are not intrinsically connected. As aforementioned, history is largely “white,” geography is limited to the 50 states, and race is often discussed in the context of Black versus white either during Black History Month or on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. These gross disconnections between these subjects severely demean the importance of each field of study while also completely ignoring the importance of their connections. History is not just one perspective nor is it just large-scale teaching purely devoted to entire nations or the world, it is also local and diverse. Geography is not just the 50 states; rather it is your hometown, your neighborhoods, your upbringing, and the culture of your community that has a symbiotic relationship with your location. And race is not just Black versus white, nor should it only be discussed on certain holidays or months dedicated to exposure. It should be an ongoing conversation throughout your education that incorporates the diversity of the world around you. Most importantly, these conversations should not be exclusive to one another, but instead, support each other in teaching its purpose.

Key points I want viewers/users/listeners to come away with are that 1) history is a multi-dimensional area of study that should include perspectives that challenge the status quo, 2) history is a tool that has many modern implications on one’s day-to-day life, especially local history, 3) students should come away with a feeling that they understand their community on a deeper and more dynamic level considering the many continual changes as the demographics of their home evolve.

Intended Audiences

The intended audience of this project are students in the Springfield Public School District and the 4J (Eugene) School District. I believe the depth in which the topics will be discussed would suit teenagers aged 13 through 18 years of age. This audience is the best suited for a project such as this due to the gap in this particular branch of education. By using Eugene/Springfield landmarks and locations it allows for a depth to local history in which they previously have not gotten. Ideally, it would be available for community members as well, but primarily audience engagement will best be found through students and a required curriculum.

As a side note: in the current social and political climate I think it is important to equip students with knowledge about these subjects to prepare them to enter these conversations intelligently and respectfully. A project such as this is not meant to influence students in a political fashion but rather allow them to make their own conclusions with the information given. Granted, objectivity is a construct that may never be truly achieved, but by allowing open and honest education that acknowledges nearly all perspectives you can give students the freedom to learn authentically.

Medium and Format

The medium this project shall use is going to be an interactive map of Eugene and Springfield, Oregon, on a website format. The maps will highlight landmarks and locations throughout both cities (as of right now in a more “cartoony” style) and when your mouse hovers over each designated location you will have various audio formats pop up which describe the history of each location as it relates to the demographics of said area. The idea is that the curriculum is not to be taught in sequential order but rather be taught in a way that resonates best with different sets of students. Whether it be landmarks that are closer to that individual student’s home or just places they frequent and recognize. The audio-story map will help students find connections that best suit their learning journey. By using this format we can demonstrate how history, geography, and race can interact in a way that is extremely beneficial to learning. And hopefully set a precedent in which other social sciences can be taught. This will provide us with unique opportunities that a stagnant class might be able to afford. This type of multi-medium format creates an immersive experience that can try and appeal to as many learning styles as possible without being overwhelming.

The audio-story portion will be combinations of interviews, audiobooks (or readings of source materials), and podcasts that will be based primarily on the “Changing Demographics: The People of Lane County” exhibition catalog. I think audio as the primary source of information makes learning not as daunting. You can multi-task and learn with little effort on your part while still getting the same information. Transcripts, of course, will still be available for those who need them.

Materials Used

I plan to use portions of Changing Demographics: The People of Lane County” exhibition catalog and will do my best to focus on sections that discuss certain areas of the communities. Outside of using this catalog specifically, I hope to primarily use it as a stepping stone for finding other resources that could help us delve further. Especially since we learned that getting copyright allowances with be based largely on a Fair Use claim. 

Excerpts of Locations and Landmarks Mentioned

“The Recinos first purchased a 7-Eleven store on Harlow Road, and over time they came to own additional convenience stores. Their dream was to open a supermarket stocked with hard-to-find foods from Latin America.” (Dole, 39)

“Ema graduated from high school in Silverton and came to Eugene in 1965. She was recruited to the Upward Bound Program at the University of Oregon. ‘They recruited what they called ‘disadvantaged’ students, including African-Americans, Native Americans, whites, and Latinos. In fact, there were five Mexican guys and me.’ Ema completed her B.A. at the University of Oregon in 1972 and a Master’s Degree in 1974. Ema had her daughter Consuela in 1975.” (Dole, 27)

“St. Mary’s Church of Eugene offers a Spanish Mass every Sunday at 1:00 pm. as well as bilingual and Spanish masses on Holy Day of Obligation and Special Feast Day Masses. The celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe is the largest gathering held by the Spanish-speaking congregation at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Held on December 12th, this event commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary to Saint Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City from 9 through 12 December 1531. After his final encounter with the Virgin, her image miraculously appeared on his cloak, which is still venerated today in The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. La Virgen de Guadalupe has become a powerful symbol of Catholic and Mexican identity, also known as the “Patroness of the Americas.” In December of 2008, more than 500 people attended the special Spanish mass for the Virgen de Guadalupe at St. Mary’s Church.” (Dole, 12)

“Tabernaculo de la Verdad was founded in Springfield in 1997 by Pastor Rubén Bahena and his family. Through their hard work, and after several changes in location, the church has grown to around 300 regular members and is now among the largest Pentecostal churches in Springfield. The Tabernaculo additionally holds smaller devotional groups in the community, as well as Bible studies, counseling for members, and youth groups and music lessons, and a monthly Time of Rejoicing of all night prayer.” (Dole, 12) 

“African-Americans began moving into Lane County in the 1930s and 1940s, as Southern Pacific Railroad expanded and provided more jobs. They experienced severe discrimination in housing. Few residents would rent or sell homes to them. Thus they were forced to live in a “Tent Town”—a village of houses with canvas roofs, no running water, and no septic facilities, on the banks of the Willamette River under the Ferry Street Bridge. The harsh circumstances did provide for a very close-knit and supportive African-American community. However, when a new bridge was built over the river in 1950, county officials forced residents of “Tent Town” to move—some did not even have time to retrieve all of their belongings. 

This time, they were relegated to an area of mudflats on West 11th Avenue. The situation there was so poor that it drew criticism from the Portland Urban League, which called “the Eugene situation disgraceful and horrible.” There had been individuals and groups who had attempted to address the issue over the years, but housing continued to be the most serious of many problems facing African-Americans in Lane County throughout the 1950s and 1960s.” (Dole, 61)

Tools or Technologies Used

Some technical skills required would be knowing how to navigate an interactive story mapping platform, like ArcGis StoryMaps; the ability to record audio of text already written or being able to conduct and record an interview, edit the said interview, and then upload it to the designed story map; and basic web design might be necessary. Barriers to these could include costs and time if it was found we needed to source materials ourselves. I am not sure the nature of ArcGis StoryMaps and whether it requires a paid subscription, but the School of Journalism and Communications does have the equipment rental available to SOJC students for podcast sessions, audiobook recordings, and the like. Some graphic design experience could be useful when designing key aspects and clip-art style landmarks. 

I think using ArcGis StoryMaps would be one of the easier tools because those taking ENG 250 are at least somewhat familiar with the interface as users, and these are potential members of the spring’s ENG 470/570 class. Beyond Toxics has used this particular technology and would be a valuable resource.

Prototype: An Audio-Visual Story Map

As discussed in our lecture with Joanna Merson, I think what will be key to the map’s readability is removing unnecessary information. Key roads and rivers are beneficial to a project such as this, but beyond those and the landmarks and important locations, not much else is needed. The map is less the focus of the project and more the guide for students to attempt to recognize the history of their personal community. This is where I wonder if there is a better mechanism for the map than the ArcGis StoryMaps and if there are programs that could provide the interactive interface with the style we are going for. The landmarks and location symbols would be altered to replicate actual ones in the Eugene/Springfield area. Unfortunately, I am not talented enough to do that. The colors used in the diagrams below would not be used in the final product and would be altered to accommodate those with color deficiencies.